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Nature, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01911-z

Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.

Nature, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01912-y

Nature staff discuss some of the week’s top science news.

Nature, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01876-z

The papal letter goes beyond a religious document and diagnoses a failure in AI governance that the scientific community should heed.

Nature, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01902-0

Video blogger’s viral accusations of data manipulation in Nature journals have sparked intense debate and speedy institutional investigations.

Nature, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01888-9

A new benchmark pitting AI against previously unseen maths problems shows systems still fall short of top human expertise.

A three-year study of nearly 4,000 adults ranging from age 19 to 94 found that brain health can improve at any age, challenging the common belief that mental sharpness must decline as we get older. Participants spent just a few minutes a day on brain-training activities, and researchers found measurable gains across multiple aspects of brain health, including thinking clarity, emotional well-being, and sense of purpose.

A newly identified crocodile species nicknamed “Lucy’s hunter” prowled Ethiopia’s rivers when Lucy’s species walked the Earth more than 3 million years ago. The giant predator was likely the most dangerous animal in the ecosystem and may have regularly hunted early human relatives.

Using the Keck Observatory, astronomers measured the spins of dozens of giant planets and brown dwarfs orbiting distant stars. They found that giant planets can spin faster than much more massive brown dwarfs, challenging simple assumptions about mass and rotation. The results suggest that magnetic fields and formation processes play a major role in determining how fast worlds end up spinning.

Learning a musical instrument later in life may help keep the brain younger for longer. In a four-year study, older adults who continued practicing maintained their memory performance and showed less age-related brain shrinkage than those who quit. The benefits were especially noticeable in brain regions tied to memory and learning.

A child psychologist says grandparents are more important than ever as youth mental health challenges continue to rise. He argues that children need supportive relationships, meaningful conversations, and a sense of purpose—not just pressure to achieve. Grandparents can help by listening, encouraging, and creating positive experiences that strengthen emotional resilience.

Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton satellite, astronomers identified a possible remnant of ancient stellar explosion just a few dozen light-years from Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy.

The post Astronomers May Have Found Supernova Remnant near Milky Way’s Central Black Hole appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Paleontologists have identified a previously unknown species of amphicyonid -- the extinct family of carnivorous mammals popularly known as bear-dogs -- from two specimens unearthed at a rich fossil site in the Vallès-Penedès Basin near Barcelona, Spain.

The post New Species of Ancient Bear-Dog Identified in Spain appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Hundreds of camera-trap records from Bolivia and Peru suggest the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis), one of the world’s least-known canids and one of Latin America’s least-known carnivores, may be thriving in intact upland forests.

The post Amazon’s Elusive Short-Eared Dog May Be More Common than Researchers Once Thought appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Researchers have obtained the first-ever photographs of the Cozumel dwarf fox (Urocyon sp.), an elusive dwarf fox living on the Caribbean island of Cozumel, off Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Captured in September 2023, the images provide the first confirmed evidence since 2001 that the elusive animal still survives on the island.

The post Scientists Capture First-Ever Images of Cozumel Dwarf Fox appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

The extinct Eurasian cave lion (Panthera spelaea) and today’s African and Asian lions (Panthera leo) belong to separate evolutionary lineages that diverged roughly 1.7 million years ago -- far earlier than previously thought, according to an analysis of 12 cave lion genomes spanning more than 100,000 years.

The post Study: Cave Lions were Distinct Species that Occasionally Bred with Ancestors of Today’s Lions appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

The Endless Frontier traces the lives of three scientists as they train students and deal with funding pressures

Group offers new scenario for how cells came to rely on phosphate molecules to build DNA and store energy

The government has tasked a group of scientists with assessing new technologies for “sustainable” oil and gas drilling—but many experts say it’s a fantasy

Understanding how the first patient became infected may shed new light on Andes virus’ transmission patterns and incubation period

Goblin sharks have never before been filmed in their natural habitat

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has emerged after decades of neglect, we noted in November 2025, with the adoption of the WHO resolution on kidney health. The resolution was a long overdue recognition of the need for concerted global attention. However, efforts to implement and operationalise these kinds of agreements are often met with opposition, inertia, and indifference. A Health Policy paper in this week's issue of The Lancet provides practical guidance on how to fulfil the resolution's promises, drawing on lessons from diabetes control and calling for integration in the broader non-communicable disease agenda.

The Lancet's annual Highlights photography competition began in 2009; since then we have published photographs that capture a rich variety of health stories worldwide. In 2025 some of the winning images came from China, India, Kenya, Japan, Mali, Nepal, South Africa, South Korea, The Gambia, the USA, and Zimbabwe.1 Highlights 2026 is now open for submissions.

“In medicine, needless to say, the moment you feel as if you've mastered something is invariably the point at which your next experience will knock you straight back down to earth.”1 Physician and writer Rachel Clarke's words will ring true, painfully so, with anyone in practice, but especially early-career clinicians. Doctors emerge proudly from final examinations and assessments, brains overflowing with facts and figures, only to realise that the real process of learning has only just begun. For this year's Wakley Prize, we're interested in the early years of a health professional's career.

The organisations’ announcement promises a unified coordinated response to controlling the Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak. John Zarocostas reports.

Critics are calling for the IMA to be suspended from the World Medical Association over its stance on Gaza. Udani Samarasekera reports.

We know that members of Gen Z are less likely to be in a steady relationship than millennials were at their age, but previous research missed out an important factor that actually widens the relationship recession

We can no longer ignore the growing threat of fully autonomous weapons. The world must either act to ban them or accept that they are the future of war

A superconducting quantum computer is part of a network that is mining an experimental cryptocurrency called Quip, and it is able to do it faster and with better energy efficiency than conventional machines

In the face of loneliness, many people are turning to AI chatbots for companionship – but research shows it can’t replace human connection. Columnist David Robson explores how beneficial it can be to talk to strangers, with evidence-based tips on how to get the conversation flowing

A clock based on radioactive thorium atoms realises a long-held ambition, demonstrating a technology that could eventually beat the accuracy of today’s best atomic clocks

Researchers at the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research have investigated how water from streams can be stored in the aquifer during wet periods. Using an area in the lower Spree catchment in Brandenburg as an example, the team used a computer model to show that naturally occurring small basins in the landscape could absorb excess stream water, allowing it to seep slowly into the ground and subsequently stabilize groundwater and connected surface water bodies. In the calculations, the groundwater level rose locally by up to 2 meters (6.6 feet). Water flow in connected streams could be increased by up to 15%. The study was published in the Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies.

Physicists led by the University of Iowa have documented in the finest detail to date how energy from the sun interacts with Earth's magnetic field, which could yield greater insight into solar effects on Earth that drive space weather.

A new cellulose-based material platform developed in Finland responds to tightening regulatory requirements and industry pressure to both replace and reduce plastic in packaging, including emerging thresholds such as limiting plastic content to below 5 wt% in fiber-based materials. The technology enables transparent, high-performance films and coatings that match the functionality of plastics while supporting industrial scalability and enabling simplified recycling or biodegradation across multiple environments.

Pack enough string-like objects together, and they will begin to align with one another. But replace the strings with worms or bacteria living in your gut, and this self-organization becomes much more difficult. A team of University of Amsterdam (UvA) researchers has demonstrated that activity can fundamentally alter one of the most important phase transitions in soft matter physics.

Sarah Pappert is a Ph.D. candidate in astrophysics at the TUM School of Natural Sciences and conducts research at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. She is supervised by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Genzel and Prof. Dr. Frank Eisenhauer, who holds a TUM Distinguished Affiliated Professorship at the TUM School of Natural Sciences. Her research focuses on supermassive black holes and the development of astronomical instruments for the Extremely Large Telescope in Chile. In addition to her research, she is actively involved in science communication and is committed to encouraging girls and young women to pursue studies and careers in STEM.

The FDA will allow bemotrizinol in sunscreen. The chemical is long-lasting and defends against solar radiation that ages skin.

Researchers used machine learning to help predict chemical signatures for over 1 billion possible fentanyls, including variants never seen before.

Solve the crossword from our July 2026 issue, in which we raise our solving skills to the next level.

A mathematical model shows that attempting to sever a fundamental particle of light could conjure new ones out of thin air.

Chewing gum made from mastic resin is a Greek staple that has some benefits for the mouth and gut. But it won’t change your face shape.